This month’s volunteer spotlight is Amy Chan. She’s been volunteering with Sunday Streets for years. She’s a veteran intersection monitor and bike route captain. Learn more about Amy and read her story below:

How long have you been volunteering and why do you volunteer at Sunday Streets?
“I started volunteering about 4 years ago, I just came back from college and wanted to try out different things in SF. It was the last event at Mission, and I just loved seeing Valencia in such a different light and the excitement of people there, so I continued volunteering.”

How did you first hear about Sunday Streets?
“I saw it on the SF Bicycle Coalition website.”

What’s your most inspiring story from volunteering?
One time, I volunteered with a lady during a one-day event in the city. Over 2 years later, at a different event over at South San Francisco, she recognized me the moment she saw me. I started volunteering a lot more when I came back to SF, and I am always surprised and inspired by the connections and impressions that volunteers and attendees make with each other.”

Tell us a fun fact about yourself
“I can roller and ice skate backward, and I have never knocked into anything – strangely, I can’t say the same for walking backward. Or forward.”

Any advice or last comments you’d like to share about volunteerism?
“One of the fun thing about volunteering, especially at an outdoor event with so many people like Sunday Streets, is that events unfold spontaneously. You never really know what will happen or what you will find. Look around, check out new places, people-watch, chat, and enjoy your day!”

“Not a single automobile: The silence is deafening, you can actually hear the branches dripping moisture, squirrels scrambling through the underbrush — and the birds!” No, that’s not a quote from someone at Sunday Streets in Golden Gate Park last year, that’s Herb Caen writing about car-free Sundays in the park, back in 1973. Did you know, since 1967, 1.5 miles of JFK Dr in Golden Gate Park have been car-free every Sunday?

Seven years later, the city of Bogota, Colombia initiated their own program of car-free streets on Sundays, called Ciclovia. Over the decades, miles of streets and popularity of the program ebbed and flowed depending on the political interest and support at the time. It is now a robust program that boasts a network of over 75 miles and has inspired hundreds of other car-free streets initiatives across Latin America, North America and the world – including here in San Francisco. Despite having had car-free streets in Golden Gate Park since 1967, it was the success of Bogota’s Ciclovia that provided the inspiration for San Francisco’s first Sunday Streets events in 2008.

In 40 years, Bogota created a network of 75 miles of weekly carfree streets, that’s roughly 1 mile per 100,000 residents. In the 48 years since the first car-free streets in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco still has just the 1.5 miles of weekly car-free streets, or not quite ? mile per 100,000 residents.

Think about it this Sunday, while you enjoy the monthly freedom of Sunday Streets. What do you want San Francisco to be like in another 48 years? Just one day a month when San Francisco neighborhoods can repurpose their streets for people? Just 1.5 miles of streets in the park where you can bike, walk, and run on Sundays safe from vehicle traffic?

If you’d like to see more, sign the petition and your support for Sunday Streets and a bolder vision for San Francisco.

We’re recruiting a passionate and energetic community organizer to lead Sunday Streets neighborhood outreach and organizing efforts. The position is roughly August through January. Deadline to apply is June 30.

Position Overview

Reaching out to and engaging the community is an essential part of Sunday Streets success, and is an important component of our program. The Interim Community Organizer will work with staff to develop and implement a robust outreach program to engage community organizations and neighbors in planning; inform businesses, residents and neighbors of temporary changes to vehicle access and parking related to Sunday Streets; and market and promote Sunday Streets to encourage neighborhood participation. The Interim Community Organizer is also responsible for recruiting activity leaders who particpate in Sunday Streets by conducting outreach to organizations and small businesses and developing and maintaining relationships with them on an ongoing basis.

The Interim Community Organizer position will begin on August 10, 2015 and end on approximately January 8, 2015. There is an expected two-week period for training with the current staff performing these responsibilities. The position is approximately 20 hours/week August 10 through August 28 and then 40 hours/week through January 8. Some evening and weekend work required. Attendance at all Sunday Streets events is mandatory (August 16, September 13, October 18).

Responsibilities Include:

Outreach Responsibilities

Update annual outreach plan as needed

Outreach to neighborhood Churches with letters and calls

Outreach to neighborhood Multi Unit buildings letters and calls

Create and send electronic information to partners, sponsors, city agencies and neighborhood blogs

Oversee merchant outreach

Prepare materials for volunteer outreach shifts

Assist with signposting and flyering prior to event

Host community meetings

Attend community meetings hosted by neighborhood and partner organizations

Program Management

Recruit local organizations and businesses that support Sunday Streets’ goals

Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of individuals, including volunteers, staff, partners, and members of the public

Strong go-getter attitude and ability to work independently; self-motivated and trustworthy

Excellent oral and written communications skills

Capable of physically demanding work, ability to stand for four or more hours, ride a bicycle, and lift 25 pounds

Problem-solving skills; calm under pressure; flexible attitude

Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment

Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Apple computers

Helpful

Experience planning public events

Experience using Salesforce for Non-Profits

Valid Drivers’ License

Proficiency in Spanish or Cantonese a plus

Equal Opportunity Employment: Livable City is an equal opportunity employer; people of color and individuals from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Livable City does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic background, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

To Apply:

Email resume and cover letter in one document to hr@livablecity.org by June 30. Please include your salary history or salary requirements.

How long have you been volunteering?
I have volunteered with Sunday Streets since 2013.

Why do you volunteer at Sunday Streets?
I found myself dancing with an outdoor Zumba instructor during Sunday Streets Mission and I knew I was hooked on the event. I like to volunteer so it seemed like a natural fit to start volunteering with Sunday Streets.

What keeps you coming back?
I love to people-watch in San Francisco and there’s no better place to do it than at Sunday Streets. It’s a great group of people that shows up for these events. The staff, volunteer crew, and all of the attendees are fun and interesting people.

I also walk San Francisco every day and I’m happy to help promote the slower pace. It’s nice to be able to add value to the pedestrian scene while I enjoy it by lending a few hours of my time to Sunday Streets.

How did you first hear about Sunday Streets?
I stumbled upon the Mission event while I was out walking Valencia.

What’s your most inspiring story from volunteering?
Each time I volunteer I find myself standing in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people and having a great time. It’s a welcome reminder that there is still plenty of San Francisco left to be discovered and enjoyed. That is what I find most inspiring and it happens often.

Tell us something we don’t already know about yourself
I can wiggle my ears.

Any advice or last comments you’d like to share about volunteerism

My advice: Volunteer to do the things that you already enjoy doing. It’s a good way to promote those experiences for others and a great way to get more out of those experiences for yourself!

While you’re walking down Valencia Street this Sunday, you may notice something different. In front of a restaurant where cars usually park, there are tables, chairs, and a succulent garden. In front of an art studio, there’s an outdoor art installation. In front of a school, there’s an interactive science project. This isn’t just for Sunday Streets, this is every day. Valencia Street hosts nine of over 50 parklets in San Francisco. Parklets transform one or two on-street parking spaces into spaces for people, and are a popular initiative of the Pavement to Parks program.

San Francisco’s streets and public rights-of-way make up 25% of the city’s land area; more space than all the public parks combined. The Pavement to Parks program seeks to test the possibilities of converting excess road space into new pedestrian spaces like plazas, living alleys, and parklets.

While Pavement to Parks explores opportunities to create permanent transformations, there are a variety of ways to repurpose streets intermittently. Sunday Streets uses miles of streets to create recreational space for people to get out and be active. On a smaller scale, Play Streets can transform just one or two blocks into a safe place for kids to play in the streets like they used to. Block parties use neighborhood streets as a place for community gathering and celebration. In New York, Weekend Walks activate commercial corridors with arts and crafts, music, outdoor dining, and youth programming.

Want to transform and activate your street into a more inviting place? Check out the sfbetterstreets.org website, your one stop shop for ideas and resources. Shoot us an email at sundaystreets@livablecity.org. We’d love to hear and share what you’re up to.

How long have you been a volunteer with Sunday Streets?
“My 1st event was in 2012, so for about 3 years now.”

How did you first hear about Sunday Streets?
“When I first came to the Bay area I explored all the neighborhoods by walking around the City. On one trip I stumbled on an event in the Mission District, stopped by the info booth and asked about what was going on. I then signed up to get info on the next events.”

Why do you volunteer at Sunday Streets?
“As a kid I would hang out with all the neighborhood kids at night. Thats what we did, hung out and played in the streets. I get some of that same feeling now at the Sunday Streets events. Each neighborhood offers a different perspective on the City of San Francisco. Its so diverse. Sunday Streets simply became another way to explore the richness of the neighborhoods and the people who live there. I found myself becoming more engaged in what went on. I feel now as though I became a native here.”

What do you love about Sunday Streets? What keeps you coming back to volunteer?
“Again its the diversity of the city, where the events occur, engaging with the people you meet, not only other Sunday Streets volunteers but the other partners who make Sunday Streets work.

Engaging with those who come out to enjoy the day by themselves, with their kids. The occasional tourists who stops, chats, wishes they had similar events where they live. Never knowing who you are going to meet, and in some cases being surprised by people you have met previously.

In one instance, last year during the Embarcedero event, I had a young woman staring at me in a crowd of people waiting to cross the Street. She looked familiar, but appeared to be part of a larger group of Chinese tourists. Once crossed, I noticed she was staring at me again. I then realized it was someone I met once in a Starbucks, at that time a Junior at Berkeley. I had offered her some career advice as a Senior and ended up with the startup Pinterest. I got so excited seeing her, we screamed above the roar of the cars. Its a lasting memory in my life, and made possible by volunteering that day.

So engaging is the key word. Engaging in life, in ways that wouldn’t be available to me before.

This City has so much to offer. As an East Coaster, I know there is no other place where I can get out and enjoy the sunshine, the weather. Having lived in NY, with all its beauty, the humidity will dampen any day outside in its different Seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall.

I have driven across the country now 6 times in the last 7 years. I have seen the beauty of America, its richness, I know the value in being here and just enjoying life. Sunday Streets is a great way to do it locally in these neighborhoods events.”

Which positions have you volunteered for at events? What’s your favorite volunteer position?
“I always choose to be an intersection monitor. It was the best way for me to enjoy myself initially. As you know, if necessary I’d stick around and volunteer the rest of the day for other things that needed to be done. I became a Volunteer Captain this year and also continued to Volunteer at Intersections. I offered to Photograph the events but realized there were others engaged in doing that so Ill catch a picture here and there and let those out focused on it do it and contribute.”

Any advice or comments you’d like to share about Sunday Streets?
“My first event I was placed at Mission and 24th Street. Those lights changed real quick and you really had to pay attention. At one point I was approached by a photographer for the Chronicle, she interviewed me, and then took my picture.Tthe back of my head. There I was, the back of my head on their web site.

But I shared that picture on my facebook page. My friends all around the world got a chance to see how my life had changed since moving from NY.

I really enjoy Sunday Streets, Ive worn my volunteer t-shirt all across the Country. People ask, “Hey whats Sunday Streets?” Locally I always tell people, “If you’re looking for something cool to do, come on out and play in the streets. Here’s the next event, check out the Facebook page.” I have also come across our program partners who patrol some of the busier intersections in the off season. During Xmas I ran into one fellow I shared an intersection with on South Van Ness when the Giants were losing to the Washington Nationals and hopes of the Series were fading. So we caught up on the SF Giants World Series win.

At this point I’m looking forward to the next event on May 10, Mothers Day in the Mission. Another season underway, I had a great time down on the Embarcadero for the season opener not only as a volunteer, but now as a Captain as well. I certainly have favorite events, the Mission usually ranks on top, with the Embarcadero, Western Addition, The Tenderloin rounding out the events.

These experiences and chapters in my life would have not happened if I had not initially volunteered at Sunday Streets. You see, you never know what will happen once you do it.”

In today’s hectic world, families are finding other ways to spend time together. One way to do this is by volunteering as a whole! Research has shown that family volunteering strengthens them by learning about social issues and provides a new perspective on the world. It provides positive role models and passes on family values to children. Volunteering is our civic responsibility, which contributes new learning experiences and development of new skills for both children and adults. It increases interpersonal communication and best of all provides quality time for the family to spend together.

Sunday Streets offer these special volunteer opportunities that make time for a collective activity. We promote living a healthy lifestyle and being physically active, encouraging people to walk, bike or skate, and foster and strengthen communities. Sunday Streets is just one of many organizations people should volunteer for. Volunteering can give each family member a chance to shine as an individual as well as a team. It has the reward of showing each other something rarely seen by staying at home.

So the next time you’re puzzled over how to spend time with your family, pay it forward and volunteer! It’s one of the best ways to spend quality time with one another while giving back to your community. It’s fun and free and you’ll learn so much from your experiences.

As we finished our season kickoff at the Embarcadero on Sunday March 8, we concluded our Sunday Streets Volunteer Pledge. The pledge was made to show the city of San Francisco how many lovers and supporters we have to make our 2015 season a triumph. We truly couldn’t make any of these events happen without the contribution from our spectacular volunteers!

If you were wondering how many volunteers and hours they pledged, here are the results. We received responses from 61 volunteers, pledging 670 hours for 2015. That is amazing! We definitely plan on picking up more volunteers along the way.

Thank you so much to all those who signed our volunteer pledge! If you pledged to volunteer at our next event in the Bayview/Dogpatch, please sign up now! We’re looking forward to seeing you on April 12!

We are so excited to welcome our 2015 Event Staff to the team. They will be at all eight Sunday Streets events, so look for them at the information booths to say hello!

Jessica Brown, Event Staff

Jessica first volunteered with Sunday Streets in 2010 and has been with us every year since, acting as a volunteer captain in 2012 and 2014. She has been involved with various sustainable city and transportation justice organizations including Walk SF and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and acting on the Community Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Transportation Plan 2040. She received her MSW from San Francisco State University, and has worked as a social worker with the SF Department of Public Health for the last five years. Her favorite Sunday Streets moments include seeing a wedding celebration on the route, being at Glide’s Rev. Cecil Williams street naming in the Tenderloin, and watching the Thriller dance on roller skates!

Michael Carri, Event Staff

Michael joined Sunday Streets in 2015. A resident of San Francisco for 10 years, he has let the city leave it’s footprint on him from sea to shining bay. As a member of the city’s running community, he enjoys moving and shaking his way around town in ways both literal and figurative. Whether working with organizations for sustainability, economic justice, or public health, he likes to spend his days both thinking and acting locally.

Karen Gauss, Event Staff

Karen Gauss joined the Sunday streets team in February, 2015 as one of our event staff. She is passionate about public spaces and likes to see them used for a variety of healthy activities in lieu of the auto-domination we see too often. A bay area gal from Milpitas, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Language Studies from UC-Santa Cruz, a master’s in Social Science-Global Studies from the University of Michigan-Flint, and a master’s in Urban Planning from Texas A&M University. She is well-traveled, and an avid average cyclist for everyday trips.

Stan Parkford, Event Staff

Stan Parkford is a graduate of Urban Studies & Planning at SF State University, and is passionate about sustainable and active transportation. He has previously volunteered and intern’d at the SF Bicycle Coalition, and contributes to Streetsblog SF. He enjoys long walks through the city, a great sunny bike ride, intelligent and meaningful conversation, out-of-ordinary puns, and writing his thoughts about cities on his Twitter and personal blog. He is a big lover of public spaces and their effect on community, so he joins the Sunday Streets event staff with excitement, enthusiasm, and a readiness to have some fun!

Bret Putnam, Event Staff

Bret Putnam is a Bay Area native who has spent much of his professional career as a photographer, specializing in cuisine and portraiture. He has also worked as a teacher, newspaper reporter, in social services, and for the U.S. Census Bureau. He has lived in Italy, China, and Costa Rica. Bret is an avid bicyclist and urban hiker. He also enjoys fly fishing, organic gardening, and following the Giants. Bret lives in the Mission District with Freddy, a two-year-old Dalmatian/Australian cattle dog.

Join us at any upcoming community meetings to share any last concerns or ideas you have for the Bayview and Dogpatch Sunday Streets on April 12, 2015. Community input is essential and appreciated as we work together to make this year’s Sunday Streets the best yet!